Arrived
at Joshua Tree National Park around 5PM. Almost closing time
at the information center. It was still over 100 degrees
out. Hot & sticky. I asked the park ranger about
the park campground...about tarantula's and scorpions in
particular...
She said
that if I got out of my tent during the night, I'd definately see
tarantulas.
It was
getting late. Had to decide if I wanted to pitch my tent in
the baking heat of the desert campground & sweat all night with
the possibility of some creepy crawler squeezing through some crack
in the tent seam, OR find a nice (preferably cheap), air conditioned
motel with a swimming pool & shower where I could scrub off the
days worth of accumulated grime.
Yep--Motel.
If there was ever an excuse to spend money on a motel--this was
it!
Below:
The Sunset Motel -- Decadent luxury (cheap too!)
After
a long day of driving & sweating...
Cool.
Cooler. Coolest.
Swim.
Shower. Watch TV from the bed in an air conditioned room!
Ahhhhhh.....life
is good!
Once
again, I had the pool to myself. Where is everybody & why
aren't they in the pool? It was 105 degrees out!
Enjoyed
the coolness more than I ever thought possible! Knew that the
next day I'd be out there in the oven again! But I didn't mind
'cause it was all part of the adventure.
Heading
south toward Joshua Tree NP, I exited Rt. 40 and traveled on a very
secluded section of Route 66. The road wasn't in very good
condition--a few bumps and pot holes. But I was having a good
time driving and looking around at everything.
Drove by
a tiny, tiny town on Route 66 called Amboy on my way to Twenty-Nine
Pines near Joshua Tree.
Right:
This is what the landscape looked like on both sides of Rt.66.
I didn't see one car the whole way!
